The present invention relates to a digital camera and a document processing system using the digital camera, and more particularly, to a digital camera for reading an original document and performing an optical character recognition (OCR) process, and a document processing system using the digital camera.
In a case of reading a document printed on a sheet of paper or the like and converting the read data into text data to be stored in a storage, the document is first read as image data and the read image data is converted to text data by the OCR process or the like. To reproduce the document, the text data is transferred to a printer and outputted. Having a document as text data is advantageous compared to having the document as image data, in terms of the reduced amount of data to be stored, readiness of data handling, improved quality in the outputted image and so on.
To read the document as image data, a flat-bed scanner, a sheet-feed scanner, or a handy scanner or the like have conventionally been used.
Since small-sized and inexpensive digital cameras have recently become popular, the digital camera can be used as document reading means. This facilitates obtaining a document as image data without requiring a desk-top-oriented facility.
However, using a digital camera as document reading means raises the following problems.
(1) Difficult to Assure Resolution Necessary for the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Process
To perform the normal OCR process, a resolution of about 200 dpi for English font and about 300 dpi for Japanese font are necessary. For instance, in order to read a sheet of print paper having the size A4 (210 mmxc3x97297 mm) at 300 dpi, the converted data size is approximately equal to 2400xc3x973300 pixels, assuming that the paper size is about 8xc3x9711 inches. However, a digital camera of the generally-used type, comprising a CCD having about 1200xc3x971000 pixels, is unable to assure data necessary for the OCR process.
(2) Necessity to Correct Distortion and Perspective of an Obtained Image
Since an image is sensed by a camera device, the sensed image does not always have as high precision as obtained by other reading means (flat-bed scanner, sheet-feed scanner or the like), which can perform image sensing while an image is precisely facing the reading means. Therefore, a correction process is necessary.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above situation, and has as its object to provide a digital camera which can accurately read document data, and a document processing system using the digital camera.
In order to attain the above object, the digital camera according to the present invention has the following configuration.
More specifically, according to one aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a digital camera comprising: image sensing means for sensing an object; and converting means for performing an OCR process on image data, obtained by sensing the object by the image sensing means, to convert the image data to text data.
Herein, the object includes a document printed on a printing medium, and the above image sensing means includes a CCD.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the above digital camera comprises output means for outputting text data to an external device.
By virtue of the above features, even in a case of sensing character images, the character data can easily be read.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a digital camera comprising: image sensing means for sensing an object; and correction means for performing correction on image data, obtained by sensing the object by the image sensing means.
Herein, it is preferable that the correction means comprises: display means for displaying an image based on the image data, for performing the correction such as perspective correction; and instruction means for instructing to perform the correction.
Furthermore, the object includes a document printed on a printing medium, and the above image sensing means includes a CCD.
Further, it is preferable that the above digital camera comprises output means for outputting text data to an external device.
By virtue of the above features, even in a case of sensing character images, distortion in the read character image is corrected.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a digital camera comprising: image sensing means for sensing an object; and switching means for switching between a first mode and a second mode, the first mode obtaining image data, obtained by the image sensing means, as binary monochrome data, while the second mode obtaining the image data as multi-valued color data.
Herein, the object includes a document printed on a printing medium, and the above image sensing means includes a CCD.
Furthermore it is preferable that the above digital camera comprises output means for outputting text data to an external device. Moreover, it is preferable that the digital camera further comprises: correction means for performing correction, e.g., perspective correction, on the image data obtained by the image sensing means; and converting means for performing OCR process on the image data, corrected by the correction means, to convert the image data to text data.
By virtue of the above features, character images can be inputted in a format most appropriate for the subsequent processes. In addition, it is possible to reduce the memory capacity necessary to store the input character image.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a digital camera comprising: image sensing means for sensing an object; correction means for performing correction on image data corresponding to each of a plurality of images obtained by dividing the object into a plurality of blocks and sensing each of the blocks by using the image sensing means; converting means for performing OCR process on the corrected image data to convert the corrected image data to text data; and combining means for combining the text data converted by the converting means, which corresponds to the image data of each of the plurality of images, into one text data.
Herein, the object includes a document printed on a printing medium, and the above image sensing means includes a CCD.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the digital camera comprises: first instructing means for instructing to change an image-sensing mode, e.g., a first mode for sensing the object as a binary monochrome image and a second mode for sensing the object as a multi-valued color image, in accordance with the type of the object; second instructing means for instructing the image sensing means to select a division pattern from a plurality of predetermined division patterns; and third instructing means for instructing the correction means to perform correction. Moreover, it is preferable that the digital camera comprises interface means for outputting the text data, combined by the combining means, to an external device. Still further, it is preferable that the digital camera comprises display means for displaying an image sensed by the image sensing means.
In accordance with an instruction outputted by the third instructing means, the correction means corrects a distortion of the sensed image in a man-machine interactive manner with respect to the horizontal and vertical directions, and clockwise direction and counter-clockwise direction with the origin at the center of the displayed image, while referring to the image displayed by the display means.
Meanwhile, the combining means detects a portion adjacent to each other or overlapped with each other in the plurality of images, based on image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by the converting means, and based on the detection result, combines text data corresponding to the image data of each of the plurality of images.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the digital camera comprises: first storage means for storing the image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by divisionally sensing an object by the image sensing means; and second storage means for storing the text data converted by the converting means and the text data combined by the combining means. Still further, it is preferable that the digital camera comprises: compression means for compressing the image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by the image sensing means prior to storing the image data in the first storage means; and decompression means for reading the compressed image data stored in the first storage means and decompressing the compressed image data.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a document processing system using the digital camera comprising: receiving means for receiving text data combined by the combining means; and output means for outputting text data for printing based on the text data received by the receiving means.
Herein, it is preferable that the output means be a printer.
By virtue of the above features of the digital camera, an object is sensed while dividing the object into a plurality of tiles, correction is performed on the image data corresponding to each of the plurality of images obtained by image sensing, OCR process is performed on the corrected image data to convert the corrected image data to text data, and the converted text data, corresponding to the image data of each of the plurality of images, is combined into one text data. Then, the combined text data is printed out.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a document processing system comprising: input means for inputting a plurality of images; character recognition means for performing a character recognition process on each of the plurality of images inputted by the input means; combining means for combining text data, obtained by performing character recognition process on each of the plurality of images by the character recognition means, to form a document; and output means for outputting the document obtained by the combining means.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a computer-readable storage medium storing program codes for executing image processing, comprising: program codes for executing an inputting process on a plurality of images; program codes for executing a character recognition process on each of the plurality of images inputted in the inputting step; program codes for executing a process of combining text data, obtained by performing the character recognition process on each of the plurality of images, to form a document; and program codes for executing a process of outputting the document obtained by combining the text data.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a program-code output apparatus for outputting a series of program codes through a communication line, the series of program codes comprising: program codes for executing an inputting process on a plurality of images; program codes for executing a character recognition process on each of the plurality of images inputted in the inputting step; program codes for executing a process of combining text data, obtained by performing the character recognition process on each of the plurality of images, to form a document; and program codes for executing a process of outputting the document obtained by combining the text data.
By utilizing the foregoing apparatus, a program having the above-described features can be electronically supplied to the apparatus through communication means, e.g., the Internet. Accordingly, the effect of the present invention can be readily attained.
The present invention is particularly advantageous since an inexpensive digital camera having low resolution can be readily adopted to perform accurate document reading and perform OCR process.
Furthermore, a document can be easily read by using a digital camera without requiring a desk-top-oriented facility. Moreover, a document which has conventionally been difficult to be read by, e.g., flat-bed scanner, sheet-feed scanner, handy scanner or the like, in terms of its size, length and volume, can be readily read.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.